


Crash Landing

by obscureenthusiast



Series: softbutchtashayar's 400 follower celebration [1]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, and she's experiencing some Feelings about that, god i'm bad at tagging, ish???, never heard of the bitch, no no tasha lived and started dating Deanna Troi okay?, sentient mud puddle whomst?, tasha has a broken leg, thank god her gf is a therapist, wait what's skin of evil?, why we never got a shuttle crash episode with them I have no idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 06:12:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15679614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obscureenthusiast/pseuds/obscureenthusiast
Summary: After their shuttle crashes and Tasha breaks her leg, she's forced to confront some feelings of helplessness.





	Crash Landing

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this for hi-im-secretly-satan for my 400 follower celebration on tumblr!! ^_^ Hope you enjoy it!!

“Stop moving! You need to rest.”

Tasha winced and sat down with Deanna’s help on the rocky earth beside the remains of their shuttle. There was the quiet burn of frustration in the back of her throat, but she bit her tongue and allowed Deanna to fuss over her.

The splint on her leg forced her to sit down completely, not simply crouch or lean against the shuttle. A fact that didn’t make Tasha feel any better. It made her… 

_Defenseless_.

She kept her eyes moving, watching the small team of bedraggled Starfleet personnel rush back and forth, setting up camp. Two security ensigns and one of the ship’s doctors, along with two of her nurses. They had been on their way back from a medical conference on a non-Federation planet (thus the security measures) when a malfunction caused the shuttle to crash.

And now they’d be here at least four days before Enterprise would rescue them.

Tasha’s fractured leg was the most serious injury. Because she’d unstrapped her safety restraints in order to put out an electrical fire…

It was a stupid mistake. One she was paying for now, she couldn’t even do security sweeps or help her ensigns with constructing the shelter or pull usable materials from the shuttle or--

“Stop that,” Deanna’s voice was quiet yet firm.

Tasha frowned and her gaze snapped from watching the camp to looking at her girlfriend.

“Stop what?” she asked, even though she knew full well _what_.

Deanna sighed and knelt in front of Tasha, reaching out to brush her fingertips along Tasha’s jawline.

“Kicking yourself just because you got hurt.”

Tasha wet her lips and let out a quiet breath, the frustration spilling from her lips before she could stop it, “I’m a burden. I’m… I’m a commanding officer, I’m supposed to be _leading_ not…” she grimaced, staring spitefully at her injured leg, “sitting on my ass.”

Deanna’s hand gently lifted Tasha’s chin so she was looking up at her again.

“Tasha…” Deanna said, raising an eyebrow matter-of-factly, “if it had been one of your ensigns who was hurt, what would you tell them? Would you think they were a burden?”

“Of course not!” Tasha said, “But I’m not an ensign, I’m…”

As Tasha drifted off, Deanna’s other eyebrow raised to join the other and she spoke in a soft but sincere tone.

“You don’t have to be invincible just because you’re a lieutenant.”

Tasha chewed on the inside of her cheek.

It wasn’t just… being a lieutenant.

Deanna leaned in and took Tasha’s hand in her own, intertwining their fingers and whispering, “You don’t have to be invincible at all, Tasha. You never had to be.”

Tasha leaned in and rested her forehead against Deanna’s, closing her eyes and letting herself relax for a moment.

“I just…” she started, but her voice failed her. She inhaled slowly and started again, her voice barely more than a whisper, “You know how wolves hunt in the wild? Go after the sick, the injured… Anything that can’t keep up. The prey at the back of the herd.”

She swallowed thickly, her brows drawing together as memories resurfaced.

“Fifteen years is a long time to think of yourself as prey. Even after all this time I…”

Deanna nodded and kissed her cheek, “I know.”

Tasha caught her girlfriend before she could pull away and kissed her, the taste of this planet’s dust on both of their lips.

As they broke apart, Tasha smiled a little, “I love you, Dee.”

Deanna squeezed her hand and returned the smile, “Love you, too.” She clambered to her feet, holding Tasha’s hand as long as she could.

“I should get back to work…” she murmured.

Tasha nodded ruefully, letting out a breath, “I’ll be here.”

Deanna hesitated a moment, then leaned down, adding quietly, with a thoughtful look, “You know… animals in communities often protect one another. Help one another when one of their members is injured.” She tilted her head, “Lion prides are built around strong lionesses helping one another…” 

She stood up straight, dusting herself off and adding, “I’ll be nearby if you need me, alright?”

Tasha nodded faintly, “Thanks…”

As Deanna walked away (giving Tasha a final, glowing smile), Tasha let her eyes follow. She smiled the tiniest bit, before allowing her gaze to return to watching the others work.

**Author's Note:**

> If any of you want to request drabbles between now and August 17th over at my Star Trek tumblr @softbutchtashayar, feel free!! You don't even need to be following me, bahahahaa


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